The present invention relates to a lens-fitted photographic film package, and more particularly to a lens-fitted photographic film package in which a photographic film, a taking lens and an exposure member, with their associated elements, are incorporated in a light-tight film case as a unit.
A lens-fitted photographic film package now on the market provides many chances to enjoy oneself by conveniently taking pictures even with no camera. This lens-fitted photographic film package comprises, as an integral whole, a film case having a taking lens, a simple exposure mechanism which includes a film winding mechanism and a shutter mechanism with their associated elements incorporated in the film case, and a 110-size cartridge film or a film contained in a 35 mm-size film patrone previously packaged in the film case, which can be sold wherever photographic film is sold. This lens-fitted photographic film package can be sold at quite a low cost because there is no provision of a film loading back cover, a film rewinding mechanism, a complicated exposure control mechanism and so forth, and provides photographers with ease and enjoyment when taking pictures because there is no need to load and unload a film.
The lens-fitted photographic film package, after the exposure of all frames of the film, is forwarded to a photo shop or photo laboratory without removing the film. There, the exposed film in a film cartridge is removed by breaking open the film package and then developed to make print therefrom while the film package without film is scrapped. The prints together with the developed film are returned to the customer.
Such a photographic film package is generally provided with a direct-vision viewfinder without a finder lens. In this photographic film package, there are two somewhat conflicting requirements for such photographic film packages, namely, a wide field of view of the direct-vision viewfinder, and structural strength of the light-tight film casing. Specifically, it is desirable that the light-tight film casing have as small a size as possible and that, on the other hand, the direct-vision viewfinder have a field of view as wide as possible.
Such a direct-vision viewfinder has a relatively large viewing frame for a wide field of view. If the direct-vision viewfinder has to have a field of view substantially the same as, or at least 80% of the field of view of the normal focal length lens for the format in use, the viewing frame opening occupies a large proportion of the entire area of the front surface of the photographic film package. This proportion becomes increasingly large as the photographic film package is thicker or the front surface are of the photographic film package is smaller.
Therefore, a problem encountered in such a photographic film package is that the provision of a large proportion of the finder frame opening without a finder lens results in a constructionally weakened light-tight film case. Furthermore, a disproportionately large finder frame opening detracts from the appearance of the front of the photographic film package.